Letters Gardens ballot has far-reaching impact

Palm Beach Gardens has four questions on the March 13 election ballot related to the city’s charter: its constitution.

The council is taking advantage of this extremely low-turnout election, with no candidates on the ballot, to get rid of the two three-year term limit that more than 16,000 voted for in November 2014 by adding a third term and allowing council members to run again. They’re removing “majority wins” (50 percent+1) to save the cost of runoffs, which rarely happen.

“Majority wins” ensures that the winner is the choice of most of the voters. They fail to see the irony in spending $130,000, the cost of two runoff elections. The council vote was not unanimous.

“Educational” materials will stress that the city’s charter is simply being modernized — not detailing that a “yes” vote removes required charter reviews, city manager residence, city manager reviews, alters how council vacancies are filled, disenfranchises voters in determining “total votes cast” and more. This was attempted in 2012 and rejected by 11,000 of the voters.

Who benefits? The council, none of whom has even completed a single term. Do your research.

The picture of George Will on the right side of that same page is very similar to the picture of Leonard Pitts Jr. Is George Will an “angry white man”?

LISA HANSER, WEST PALM BEACH

What’s the solution

to all the plastic?

Regarding eateries and governments targeting plastic straws:

Why not address the excessive plastic packaging on everything from pencil sharpeners to “clamshells” for fruit or orders from Amazon, bundled in plastic wrap to protect or fill boxes? Values, morals and respect are replaced with plastic.

What about the plastic coating on the bazillions of magazines from People to Us to O, which subsequently become landfill?

China has already declared they will no longer take in our garbage. What is the replacement plan? Is there one?

ANNETTE PANKRAC. PALM BEACH GARDENS

America’s diversity

is fine by me

To the letter-writer who believes e pluribus unum means “out of many, one language,” I believe it means, “out of many, one voice.” America is known as a country of diversity which I am happy to live in.

CHERYL WEAVER, DELRAY BEACH

Editor’s note: E pluribus unum is defined as “out of many, one.” Its context on the Great Seal and on several U.S. coins is “out of many (states), one (nation).”

Partisan dysfunction

puts China in control

It has been one year since Donald Trump became president. I am totally amazed at the irrational and dysfunctional actions of the Democrats and some Republicans regarding his presidency. Most of the disagreement with Trump’s policies stems from their fear that he will make good on his promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington.

While he is trying to bring America back from the decline of more than 35 years under both Democrat and Republican rule, China and several other countries are silently taking over the world. Not by war but “economically.”

So, keep arguing and spending the taxpayers’ money trying to defeat Trump’s policies. Nothing is being accomplished except that the foreign powers of the world are silently taking over the world.

STEPHEN BARTO SR., PALM BEACH GARDENS

With Patriots’ loss,

men at sea until Sept. 6

Please join me in a moment of silence as we mourn the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl LII loss.

Across the nation, red-blooded American men once again stumble into the darkness as the curtain comes down on another NFL football season, trusting in their maker that they will live on until the 2018 preseason heralds the dawning of another season of NFL football.